


Proof of Ownership

by BittyBlueEyes



Series: Eleven and His Rose [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-13 07:58:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4514163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BittyBlueEyes/pseuds/BittyBlueEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose land themselves in prison once again. Events take a sudden turn and they remember that there are some things much worse than a stint in prison. --After Part 1, the series can be read in any order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I lost count,” Rose commented casually. She stopped her restless pacing and came to rest against the wall. The coolness of the stone bricks seeped through her thin, tattered shift and caused her to shiver.

“Of what?” the Doctor asked. Rose could tell by his voice that he was located just on the opposite side of the wall, likely in the same position.

“How many times we’ve been arrested. I was trying to keep count,” she explained.

“Since when?” he asked curiously.

“Don’t know. Something like four to six months ago. That’s the problem. I should have marked it on my calendar.”

“You have a calendar?” he asked incredulously. “Since when?”

“Since January 1st. I just started it one day. I thought it might be neat to try and keep track of time for once. It’s September 7th, if you’re curious.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” he puzzled. “We’ve gone on for ages without keeping track. Why start now?”

“’Cause I don’t know how old I am anymore. I doubt I could even guess the right decade. You can’t even guess the right century for yourself.”

“How would a calendar help you with that? No, no, don’t tell me. You just want to make sure you get enough Christmas celebrations.”

Rose laughed. “I guess that’s part of it. Just thought it’d be interesting, that’s all.”

“Your arrest record, too?”

“No, that’s to prove a point. We’ve always dealt with arrests, but this is getting ridiculous,” she said seriously.

“Hey, I told you not to touch it,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, and I told you not to open it,” she replied.

“You touched it after I opened it.”

“Well, I told you that we shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” she argued.

“That was _after_ I opened it!”

“And before we even entered the room!” Rose sighed heavily. “It doesn’t matter. I know you don’t blame me, and I don’t blame you either. I’m just sick of spending so much time in prison.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. Not exactly the holiday I wanted it to be.” The Doctor looked about his small cell with a frown. It was another sticky mess that he wasn’t sure how to get out of.

“So what do you think the punishment will be? I highly doubt we’ll get a trial. You don’t think it’ll be worth execution or anything, do you?”

“No, it shouldn’t be that bad. Some time in prison or some time in the stocks,” the Doctor suggested with a shrug. “Whatever it is, we’ll get out of it before the sentence is through. We always do.”

“The stocks…” Rose sighed again and shook her head. “This place is so strange, you know. Reminds me some of Japan.”

Though Rose was on the other side of the stone wall, the Doctor still looked quizzically over his shoulder at her. “How’s that?”

“Well, you know. Japan cut itself off from the rest of the world for ages, developing independently in culture and tradition. All of a sudden, America kicks down their door and the country becomes flooded with modern culture and technology. Japan adapts quickly, taking everything in. They even take it a step further, not just accepting technology, but improving it. And through it all, they hold onto their culture and tradition.

“That’s like here. It’s more like King Arthur meets space man than east meets west, but same principle. This planet sort of had the entire galaxy thrown at it. It’s rebuilding everything with new technology, but they’ve still got their traditions, festivals, and temples. New buildings, but same old architecture. The music’s changing, but still played with traditional instruments. Art…”

“Dungeons,” the Doctor chimed in. “Shiny metal barred doors with high tech locking mechanisms, paired with a stinky pile of straw for comfort.”

“Exactly,” Rose acknowledged. With her legs tired and aching, she gave up and decided to take advantage of that small comfort. She jumped back up the moment she sat down. “Urgh! It’s moldy!”

“Yeah, I guess I should have warned you about that,” the Doctor said apologetically.

“Yeah, would’ve been nice… Anyway, when do you think we’ll get our sentence?”

“Probably not today. It’s getting into evening and the King will need his dinner.”

“So we have to wait ‘til the lord of the land gets his kingly arse up in the morning?”

“And has had his breakfast.”

Rose groaned and slid down the wall to sit on the cold stone floor. “So… wanna play the alphabet game?”

“Sure,” the Doctor slid down his side of the wall so that they were sitting back to back. “Which one?”

“I’m going on a trip and I’m taking with me... an Anteater.”

“An _anteater_? Again? Can’t you get creative? Why would you even want to bring an-”

“Just shut up and pick something for ‘B’.”

Rose and the Doctor had just gotten to the letter ‘Q’ when light flooded the dim hallway. They both pressed their faces up to the bars to see what was happening. Quiet words were exchanged at the dungeon entrance and a guard quickly made his way down the passage. When he caught Rose staring, he knocked at the bars with his staff. Rose quickly pulled back to dodge the potential blow, but went back to staring when she saw the long skirts of a woman pass next. They stopped just outside the Doctor’s cell, and the Doctor quickly got to his feet.

The woman held herself in a stiff proud manner, but she twisted her fingers nervously. Likewise, her speech was regal, but tinted with anxiety. “They say you claim to be a Doctor.”

“ _The_ Doctor, yes,” the Doctor affirmed.

“You are a physician then? An off-world physician?” she asked.

“That depends…” the Doctor said hesitantly. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“A very good thing, but you must be truthful. Are you a physician?” the woman persisted.

“Then, yes. I think I’m a pretty good healer. Dealt with many global plagues, common colds, and-“

“Wonderful. Let him out,” the woman ordered.

“And _her_ , I need her,” the Doctor insisted, pointing at Rose’s cell. “I can’t go anywhere without her.”

“I’m sorry, but I can only pardon _you_. Now we must hurry.” The woman began sweeping away, but the Doctor didn’t move.

“I’m telling you, I don’t go anywhere without her!” Before the Doctor had even finished his sentence, the large guard had him by the arms and was forcing him down the passage. “No! No! I won’t leave her here. I’m telling you-“

“It’s okay, Doctor!” Rose shouted back. “We’ll sort it!”

The moment the Doctor reached the top of the dungeon steps, he was released by the guard and shoved into the custody of two others. Each man took one of his arms and immediately set pace behind the woman.

Now that they were in the light again, he could confirm that the woman was an Oktosani, a native of Oktosar, as were their accompanying guards. They were a stunning people with golden skin, white hair, a panther-like nose, and wide-set, cat-like eyes. Rose had declared them beautiful and dared him to find an ugly one. As irritated as he was with them now, none of them were looking quite so pretty.

“As nice as it is to have your support,” the Doctor said in mild irritation, “I can walk quite well on my own.”

The guards pretended not to hear him, but the woman responded with a wave of her hand. “You can let him go.”

“Yes, your highness,” one of the guards replied. As the Doctor was released, the guard muttered darkly, “You better watch yourself.”

The Doctor ignored the threat and stumbled when they let go. “Your highness?” he asked in surprise.

“My father is ill. Our healer has done everything he can think of, but we’ve never seen anything like it before. We must assume it is from another planet and therefore need the advice of an off-worlder,” she explained.

“If you’re a ‘highness’ that would make your father the king?” the Doctor checked.

The woman merely nodded.

“Good. That’s fine. I always like meeting kings. Not sure I’m really dressed for the occasion…” The Doctor looked down at the ratty blue cloth that was wrapped around his waist, hoping it covered him well enough.

He saw the princess laugh and couldn’t help but chuckle himself. His smile faded when he glanced at one of the guards who didn’t look the least bit amused.

When they came upon a large set of doors with guards on either side, the princess pushed the doors wide and gestured for the Doctor to enter. The Doctor glanced briefly at the people in the room, but moved straight toward the bed, the two guards still at his sides.

“Who is this?!” One of the men cried in outrage. The Doctor ignored it completely and began assessing his patient.

“Alright. Two blankets. That means chills. Prickly rash…”

“This is the off-world doctor that I mentioned,” the princess explained.

“The one I forbade you to retrieve?!” the man demanded.

“The one you ‘advised against’, yes. He’s our only chance at this point and-“

“Open your mouth and stick out your tongue,” the Doctor quietly ordered the patient as the angry man continued to argue with the princess.

“You put your faith in a prisoner.”

“A doctor.”

“A thief!”

“Not a thief. Didn’t steal a thing,” the Doctor chimed in. “What about your vision? Can you follow my finger?”

“Our father never trusted off-world physicians-“

“It’s our last hope! And he seems to be trusting one now!”

“What about your glands?” The Doctor gently placed his hand around the king’s throat and three swords came to rest threateningly on his forearm.

“Just checking his glands,” the Doctor said gently as he pulled back his arm. “Quite swollen. What about speech? Can you talk?”

The king shook his head and his children chorused “No.”

“Alright then. Easily diagnosed. It’s the pondtalino virus.”

“Are you sure?” the princess asked hopefully.

“Yep. Chills, rash, white-coated tongue, swollen throat and glands. I mean there’s plenty of other viruses like it in the universe, but nothing that would travel all the way here. Add into the facts that you’ve got Pondtalinian gift basket over there, which means you’ve recently had Pondtalinian visitors, I’d say it’s a pretty sure thing.”

“The Pondtalinians did this to him?” the prince demanded furiously.

“You’re a very angry person, aren’t you?” the Doctor asked calmly. “No, the Pondtalinians didn’t do this to him. One of them must have been carrying it when they came to visit. And before you get all upset again, I don’t mean they carried it in a purse or something. It’s just a virus that originated on their planet and they were likely getting over it themselves or were with someone who recently had it. It’s not usually fatal, but your immune systems aren’t used to the same type viruses as they are. It’s acting a bit harshly on his majesty. The good news is, I have just the cure. Already cooked up and ready to use.

“The hard part is that it’s in my blue box and my blue box is in town. I’m going to go ahead and assume that you aren’t going to let me out of here to fetch it, so… Perhaps some of these strapping guards of yours might retrieve it for me?” The Doctor patted the arm of the nearest guard, but at the scowl he received, he pulled back. “It’s located right on the corner of Main and Market Street, right beside that lovely little restaurant.”

“You just left your box on the corner of the street?” the princess asked in surprise and horror. “Someone’s likely stolen it.”

“No, no one will steal it. Hardly anyone pays attention to it. Not to mention, it’s not easy to lift. Your fellas are probably going to want to bring an open carriage. Big blue box, taller than a man, and says ‘Police Box’ on it.”

“If you profess to be a Doctor, why does it say ‘Police’?” the prince asked dubiously.

“Because that’s the way my box comes. I’m rather fond of it, so I keep it as it is,” the Doctor explained vaguely.

“I don’t like it, Aileen,” the prince spoke darkly. “I don’t trust this man.”

“I know, Xio, but you’re going to have to.”

“Do it,” the prince finally conceded. “Bring the box, but be sure to search it before bringing it here.”

One of the guards left to assemble a party to retrieve the TARDIS and the room was cast into silence. The prince and princess both looked stubborn and determined. The tension was palpable. Trying to place himself out of the way, the Doctor backed into a chair in the corner. It would be a long wait for his TARDIS to be collected.

The wait turned out to be even longer than the Doctor anticipated. It was approximately two hours before a pair of guards returned.

“What took you so long?” the prince demanded.

“I’m sorry, sire, but we had a hard time opening it to search it. We‘ve tried everything. We called a locksmith and he couldn’t make a thing of it. It’s just outside the door if you’d like a look yourself.”

The prince opened the door of the bedroom and found the TARDIS in the corridor. “It doesn’t look too sturdy. Just bash in the door.”

“We’ve tried that, too, your highness, but it’s impossible to break.”

“Yes,” the Doctor said hesitantly. “It’s really quite solid and the lock’s very special. It only opens for me, you see.”

“Then open it so that we might search it,” the prince commanded.

“I’m very sorry, but I can’t allow that. See, it’s a very special box. If you’d give me just five minutes though, I can retrieve the cure. Five minutes. Maybe less.”

The prince looked livid. “I don’t like your games, doctor. I order you to open this door immediately!”

“I really am sincerely sorry, but I can’t allow you in,” the Doctor persisted.

“I am Prince Xio! You will obey me!”

The Doctor did not respond.

“He has wasted our time! Take him to the dungeons! You, doctor, will pay for your disobedience.”

A set of guards seized the Doctor but he fought against their pull. “Wait! I’m trying to help! I swear to you that I’m trying to help! I can save your father if you just give me a chance! There must be another way. Your physician! He must have a lab. Allow me to work with him. He’ll be able to oversee all that I do. He can guarantee that I don’t mean to poison the king.”

“To the dungeons, I said!”

“Xio, let him! This way you’ll know you can trust his cure,” Princess Aileen pleaded.

“I’ve had enough!”

“Sire,” one of the guards spoke up meekly. “His majesty, the king.”

The weak king in his bed had lifted his hand to point at the Doctor. He could not speak, but his message was clear. The Doctor was to be given a chance.

“Good. Very good,” the Doctor said quietly. “I know it’s probably not a good time, but I’d like to make a request. The moment the king shows signs of improvement, Rose and I are free to go.”

The prince looked ready to spit a venomous reply, but before he could, the king nodded.

Prince Xio turned his back to the Doctor, but Princess Aileen did not hesitate and swept from the room.

“Release the man. Doctor, follow me. I will show you to our physician.”

The Doctor hurried after her. “This physician of yours, is he any good?”

The princess smiled broadly. “The best in the land.”

Once ushered into the healer’s lab, the Doctor stopped in stunned horror.

“This isn’t a lab!” He looked around the room in dismay. The counters were new and pristine, as were the glass cupboards, but the jars were filled with berries, thick syrups, and powders. Under the suspended cabinets, both fresh and dried herbs hung from hooks. “This is an apothecary! In all the advancements you’ve made, I expected a pharmaceutical lab, not granny’s kitchen!”

“Xio and my father do not believe in modern medicine. They believe that no good can come from putting chemicals in a person’s body,” Aileen explained apologetically. “Tell me, can you still cure him?”

“I don’t know,” the Doctor said as he scrubbed his face in frustration. “I’m not familiar with the plants of this world.”

He kept his face covered as he tried to calm himself.

Rose. It only took one thought of her to firm his resolve. He would keep her safe no matter what it took and this might be just the thing to guarantee her freedom.

“It really depends on if this physician of yours is really as good as you say he is. Where is he?”

The princess pointed and the Doctor noticed the short, slightly pudgy man standing in the middle of the room. The Doctor had overlooked him while scanning the cabinets and shelves. The man’s face was stern and he glared at the Doctor, not doubt offended by what the Doctor said about his practice.

The Doctor cared nothing about the offence he caused and was straightforward when he ordered, “So, prove yourself. How good are you? I need something that contains the primary constituent berberine and something with active ingredient allicin.”

The healer didn’t pause even a moment as he began collecting ingredients. The Doctor felt a small measure of relief. Perhaps this was possible. He picked up a mortar and pestle and began collecting empty beakers and burners.

He worked tirelessly for a couple of hours, testing ingredients on his tongue and doing mathematical calculations before adding each component. He sat back and stared at the finished product a moment before sticking in a spoon and testing it.

“Well?” the physician asked hopefully.

The Doctor scowled and pushed the beaker away. “It’s no good. Dump it.”

“What? Why?” the physician worried.

“Too acidic. It’ll burn holes in his stomach.”

“But couldn’t you add-“

“I’ve thought of that,” the Doctor cut him off. “Anything to combat the acidity will only weaken the potency. Dump it out and we start again.”

“But we’ve run out of-“

The princess was the one to interrupt the physician this time. “Whatever you need, we will send the servants to fetch.”

The Doctor and physician both listed off items and a small string of servants went to collect what was required. When the last servant stepped forth, the princess ordered for two plates of food to be brought in.

“That’s very kind,” the Doctor responded, “but please have mine delivered to the dungeon. Sixth door on the right, pretty blond woman.”

The servant looked to the princess in question.

“Have two plates brought here, then have one delivered to his wife.” Before the servant could leave, the princess stopped him. “Perhaps a blanket for the woman, too.”

The Doctor thanked her with deep sincerity and began his work again. It took two more attempts before the Doctor was satisfied.

“It’s done,” he declared. A large bottle was quickly filled and stoppered and the Doctor and physician were led to the king’s chambers.

“Will it work?” Prince Xio asked dubiously.

“In all honestly, you highness, I’m not sure,” the physician confessed. “I can promise you though, it was constructed with great care and should do him no harm.”

“He tested it each time on himself, Xio,” Princess Aileen stated. “It is not a poison.”

“It’ll work,” the Doctor declared. “It’s not nearly as good as the other cure I could offer you, but this will boost his immune system and take care of most of his symptoms. You should start seeing improvement in the next couple days and he should be well within a week. Three spoonfuls every four hours. Now, onto the matter of my wife. Because it will take awhile to work, I’d appreciate it if-“

The Doctor was cut off by a knock on the door. The guard that entered was out of breath. “Your majesties, there’s been an attack. The dungeons… some men have escaped.”

“Rose! What of the woman there?!” the Doctor panicked.

The guard shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“You’re sorry? What does that _mean_?”


	2. Chapter 2

Rose sat against the dungeon wall in the same position that she was in when the Doctor was taken away. She pulled her blanket tightly around her in effort to combat the chill. The meal and blanket she had received a few hours earlier were a great relief, not only in soothing her body’s discomfort, but in giving her hope. The Doctor was doing something that afforded her these comforts. If he succeeded in whatever he was doing, they’d both be finding freedom. At least that’s what she hoped.

A sudden bang echoed through the dungeon and Rose jumped to her feet. The light pouring through the dungeon door was broken up by battling shadows. Grunts and thuds were silenced by the quiet but unmistakable sound of a laser rifle. Rose wondered if she should hide in the back of cell, but couldn’t keep herself from watching.

“What took you so long?!” one of the prisoners demanded.

“Bloody guards,” another man replied.

“Well, be quick will you? There’s bound to be more coming.”

The sound of the laser was met with the sound of metal and sparking electrical wires. “Oi, why him first?” another man jeered. “Hurry it up.”

“What about others?” the first prisoner asked. “We’re not the only prisoners in here.”

Anxiety was bubbling up in Rose. She knew that the Doctor was coming along with some sort of plan, but she knew it wasn’t guaranteed. If these men freed her, he’d no longer have to worry about her; only himself. She could make it to the TARDIS and wait for him there. Seconds were ticking by and she didn’t know what to do. Finally she spoke. “Me. Please let me out. Please?”

Two men stopped in front of her cell and had a look at her. “Yeah. She’s good stock. Take her.”

A wave of panic washed over her. She’d been called good stock before and it was followed by one of the worst experiences of her life. She gripped the bars and tried to hold the door shut.

“No!” she shouted. “You leave me alone!”

She was too late. The lock had been blown and Rose wasn’t strong enough to keep them out. When the door opened, she stumbled. She backed up further into the cell in a defensive stance, ready to attack when they neared her. She glanced between the two of them and was terrified by their expressions of cruel amusement. The large man approached and she readied herself, reminding herself of the many vital attack points.

“Not the face,” the smaller man ordered. “She’s a pretty one.”

“Looks ugly to me.”

“All mammals look ugly to you. Just hurry up.”

Rose had expected him to try and grab her so was unprepared when the man’s fist pounded her in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of her and she felt the immediate urge to vomit. She fell to her knees and her stomach heaved. Before she could recover, she was thrown over the man’s shoulder.

Rose tried to squirm free, but she already knew it was beyond hope. There were more of them. If she got free from one, she’d only be beaten and taken by the others. She knew she would regret her next move, but she followed through with it anyway. Instead of fighting the tough-skinned reptilian man that was carrying her, she reached out for the man that closely followed, grabbed him by the crest at the top of his head, and clawed his face. It was no small scratch. Her nails dug deep into his skin, drawing blood. Before he could retaliate, she drug her bloody fingertips along the wall, leaving her mark.

“You stupid bitch!” the man exclaimed. He lifted his fist, but before he could strike, the reptilian man turned, moving Rose out of reach.

“Remember, Jax,” the reptilian man taunted, “she’s got a pretty face.”

“Shut up, you idiot.” Jax dabbed at his face and looked at Rose with a vicious sneer. After searching through one of his pockets, he produced a small tube. He snapped it in his hands and brought the swab inside up to Rose’s nose. She tried to avoid it, but he grabbed her hair to steady her. The scent shot through her senses and consciousness swiftly fell away.

 When Rose awoke, she was sprawled out on a cold metal floor. The very first thing she registered was the pain in her belly. It made her whole body hurt. She curled into a fetal position because it seemed the least painful and began taking in her surroundings from there.

She was caged in a large cell situated in one corner of what appeared to be the cargo hold of a ship. The cell was enclosed by strong vertical bars much like the dungeon. An identical cell stood across from her. Each of them looked like they could comfortably hold ten people, but she was the only captive. Between the two cages, a pathway ran through to another part of the ship, presumably to the cockpit. From there she heard voices.

As soon as she heard the men talking, her heart sunk. It was not because of what they said, but because she couldn't understand them in English. Language was no longer being translated for her, which meant that the TARDIS was far, far behind her. However, that wasn't to say that she didn't understand them. They spoke Base One and so did she.

It was long ago, when she was still in Pete's World, that she learned it. She had many years with the Metacrisis Doctor and he felt he should prepare her for the return to her home universe. There was much she wanted to learn and some things he felt were vital that she know. One of those things was Base One. It was a language that started small, but quickly spread across the universe. It was the language of travelers and traders, a language created in space for all species to learn and use for communication. No matter where people came from, they could come together under one shared language. It even became the language spoken at galactic conferences.

Rose tried very hard to study it from the notes the Doctor created for her, but had had a very difficult time with it. One day, the Doctor simply stopped speaking to her in English and spoke solely in Base One. She hated him for it, but he didn't let up for two whole months. By that time, she was really beginning to get the hang of it. They continued practicing through the years and when she finally returned to her home universe, she was able to practice in practical situations, like marketplaces. She wasn't sure at what point she could really call herself fluent, but at this point, it came to her nearly as easily as English.

It would most certainly help her now. She had no intention of speaking, but she needed to listen for certain. That was her plan. She'd learned from previous mistakes and would be careful this time. She would be as quiet and compliant as possible. If she struggled, they would beat her. The last thing she wanted was to be presented in a battered condition. The buyers that purchased slaves in that state were owners that had no qualms with them being in that condition and were even likely to use force to keep them in that state. Likewise, speaking out or disobeying meant that you went to an owner that took amusement in that behavior, a person also likely to enforce harsh punishments. The only possible chance at a master that wasn't cruel, was if you were calm and compliant. It was hard, very hard, but she was going to do her best. The chance at a good master was still very slim, but she'd do what she could and hope desperately for the best.

When they finally arrived, several hours later, Rose got to her feet and followed willingly. Her abductors left her there in the hands of others, where she was stripped, hosed down, and pushed into one of the many cages. Before they left her, they threw in what looked like a small ball of fabric. She picked it up quickly and dressed in the two piece outfit. Like her garment in the dungeon, it was threadbare, but this was even more revealing. The skirt was quite short and a bit too tight on her hips and the halter top was meant to cover just her breasts. It was better than nothing. She was on display and they wanted the buyers to see the wares properly.

The market was incredibly noisy, many of the slaves crying out, traders shouting orders, and general chatter as the buyers argued over price. The market was huge. Rose hadn't gotten a good look at it but she could easily state that there were more than 300 slaves. The cages were cube shaped, with solid metal tops and bottoms and bars on all sides. They were placed directly next to each other in long rows so that buyers could walk on either side.

With buyers on two sides of her, and being mashed by two cages on the other sides, Rose kept herself placed in the center. She wasn't idle though.

When a buyer and trader stepped up to her cage, she was too busy to notice them. She was on her knees, busy scratching at the bottom of the cage.

"Girl! Stand up! Get over here!" the trader ordered.

Rose panicked. She wasn't through yet. The trader brought a tasing stick to the bars and sent a warning shock through the metal cage. Rose twitched but didn't stand up just yet. She was almost finished. The trader ordered her again and just before he sent another shock, she got to her feet.

Rose stepped up before them, standing just out of arm's reach, and began sizing them up, just as they did her.

"Pretty good specimen here, don't you think?" the trader advertised. "Not too scrawny, and not overpowering. Could be pretty if you looked at her right."

"Does she talk?" the man asked. He scrutinized her from head to toe, and she did the same in return. He was a tall man, tall and slender. His skin was bluish-grey and his eyes dark in color. It was his nose that made him stand out from other humanoids. It was more like a trunk that slightly curled under and hung just to his chin. It reminded her of the elephant seals she and the Doctor came across in Argentina. The long robes and hat he wore... It took Rose great effort to keep her stoic expression, for she felt the urge to chuckle… The man looked like he might have just stolen his outfit from the catholic pope. It spoke volumes. He was a wealthy and educated man.

"We don't really know if she talks," the trader confessed. "She hasn't said a word since she was brought in. If it's a mute you're looking for though, we can easily cut out her tongue for you."

Rose's jaw clenched and she tried her best to keep herself from appearing angry.

"Oh, but look at her eyes," the buyer said with interest.

The trader looked chagrined. "Hidden spirit there, innit? Perhaps harder to handle than she seems at first glance. There's another down here that-"

"No, that's not what I meant," the buyer interrupted. "Yes, there's spirit, but also intelligence. Oh, she can speak; I'm certain of it."

"That's a good thing?" the trader asked uncertainly.

"Yes, I appreciate when they can talk. And that on the floor, did she do that?"

The trader noticed the scrawling for the first time and became furious. "You bitch! What did you do to my cage?! You-"

"Girl! Girl!" Rose turned around to see that she was being called from the other side. She wasn't sure who to listen to. She decided to take the angry trader and 'the pope' but the electric shock that pulsed through her feet and up through her body told her otherwise.

She moved to the other side and instantly became anxious. The buyer was large and brutish. His thick leathery skin was so hard that it looked like rock. He wore a mocking sneer and leered at Rose in a way that made her feel ill. He spoke to the trader in a language she didn't understand. The trader ordered her to lift her skirt and she backed away, holding her skirt in place. The buyer took the taser from the trader and shocked the cage. She didn't understand him when he spoke but she knew he was taunting her. Against the rules she set down for herself, she became angry and that anger and disgust was evident in her expression and the way she clenched her fists at her sides. The buyer laughed and spoke to the trader again.

"Sorry, Loveem," the trader behind her called to the trader in front of her. "Already sold."

Rose instantly felt relieved. She moved back to the side where her new master spoke with the trader.

"Okay, Elphinaud, where do you live?" the trader asked the buyer as he wrote on his clipboard.

"This information I'm giving you, it's not for records, is it? I had the idea that you-"

"No, no," the trader assured him. "This stuff's for you. Temporary proof of ownership. If your planet requires you to register her, you'll have to do that, but this is in case you make a stop at a space station or something. Sort of like a receipt."

"Alright then. My home planet is Broxtinlinari."

Rose dropped to her knees so fast that the floor clanged beneath her. She picked up the sharp stone she'd been using earlier and began scratching into the metal as quickly as she could. B-R-O

"Hey, you, stop that!" the trader ordered.

Rose didn't stop. X

There was no warning shock this time. A painful jolt coursed through her body, bringing unwanted tears to her eyes. She had paused just a second to pull herself together, but started again. T

Another shock shot through her, causing every nerve to twinge.

"Maati, come get this bitch outta the cage. Collar her up."

Rose tried to manage one last letter, but was jerked suddenly from the cage. Once off her knees, with her body unfolded, she trembled from the electric shocks. She stood still with tears trailing down her cheeks as the man called Maati fitted a metal collar around her neck.

"Now, this here," the first trader explained, "is the remote for the collar. I suggest you keep it on her for quite a while. Some owners never take them off. The button's what shocks her, obviously, but the little dial on the side adjusts the strength of the shock. The lowest is the warning and the highest is 2.1 Milliamps. Careful with the high setting though; it renders them basically useless for a while and they usually piss themselves."

"Yes, thank you." Elphinaud looked quite worried just in holding the small remote.

"Do you have shackles or would you like to buy some?"

"I've got some, thank you." Elphinaud approached Rose for the first time and pulled out a set of wide leather cuffs and attached a lead between them. Rose's wrists were quite close together, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as she'd expected. The trader smirked and shook his head. It was quite clear to him that Elphinaud didn't know what he was getting himself into.

Rose paid no attention to the rest of the transaction and she didn’t hear a word that Elphinaud spoke to her as they left the market. She’d accomplished all she could for the time being. She’d somehow managed to end up with a nonviolent master and was out of real danger for the moment. Now that her fear had somewhat subsided, she was left feeling drained.

Elphinaud led her into a small personal spacecraft and showed her to a seat just behind the cockpit. She watched as he moved to the front of the ship and closed the door. She had hoped he might have been stupid enough to leave the door open so that she might take control of the craft, but it was a stupid idea and he was too smart to allow that possibility.

Rose brought her legs up and turned sideways in the seat to rest herself comfortably. It had been over two days since she last slept. She remembered waking up early with the Doctor to explore, they were then thrown in the dungeon, she was tossed aboard a slave ship, and then spent time in the slave market. It was a lot to happen in two days and she was exhausted. She was asleep before the small spacecraft even took off.

 

* * *

 

The Doctor waited with bated breath for the guard’s response to his question. Where was Rose?

The guard looked away from him though and turned to the royal family to give his report. “Our men went to search the prisoners’ spaceship, as ordered, but they were surprised by some men that were hidden aboard the ship. Our guards were killed and the men came out with laser guns, shooting anything that moved. They went straight to the dungeons to collect their accomplices. They shot the guard in the dungeon, too. They-“

“Rose! What about the woman there?!” the Doctor demanded.

“They took her. We saw them running across the courtyard toward their ship and the girl was over the shoulder of one of the men. They’re gone. All of them. I’m sorry, your majesties, but we just weren’t prepared.”

The Doctor was stunned dumb. Rose was gone. He wasn’t sure which action to take next.

“They’re slavers aren’t they?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” Princess Aileen answered softly. “Doctor, I’m so very sorry.”

The Doctor pushed out of the room before anyone thought to stop him. When the guards finally jumped into action, the princess ordered them not to subdue him. She and the guards followed quickly after him to the dungeons.

The door to the dungeon was wide open and the Doctor didn’t stop until he was outside Rose’s empty cell. He immediately began searching. He wasn’t sure what for, but he needed something, anything, to go on. He was searching the other empty cells when the princess arrived.

“Have you found anything?”

“No,” the Doctor said hopelessly. Just as he said it, he caught sight of a bloody smear on the wall. Oh god, was it Rose’s? “It’s still wet. Do you have a piece of cloth? A handkerchief or something?”

The princess had just that and the Doctor wiped up the blood. It was DNA. Not much to go on, but at least it was something. He only hoped it wasn’t Rose’s.

“Does anyone know where the slave market is located? Does anyone know where the ship came from or was going?” the Doctor shouted so that all the guards could hear.

“I’m afraid not,” Princess Aileen replied. “I would help you if I could, Doctor, but I’m afraid we know little more than you.”

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think. It’d been a very long time since he’d felt so afraid. Rose could be anywhere and he had no idea where to begin searching.

“I have to go,” he said heavily. “There’s nothing more I can do here. I have to find her.”

Princess Aileen collected his and Rose’s clothes and the few belongings they had on them and returned them to the Doctor. “I am so very sorry for you. I hope that you do find her.” Her words were sincere but heavy with the doubt she felt. It was an impossible quest. She could easily see how much Rose meant to him, but his wife was truly lost.

The Doctor took their belongings and his footsteps were heavy as he slowly made his way back toward the TARDIS. He walked alone. Surely, the princess had ordered the guards to allow him that right. His mind was buzzing with possibilities.

The prince and his guards passed the Doctor in the corridor, but the prince made no move to stop him, simply eyeing him curiously.

He was nearly at the TARDIS when he heard Princess Aileen shouting his name. When he turned to look, her ladylike decorum was forgotten and she was running as fast as she could after him. She was out of breath by the time she reached him.

“My brother… The guards… One of the guards that searched the ship… He was dead, but they found this in his hand…” The princess held up a wrinkled piece of paper, handing it to him. “It’s the coordinates of their next destination… It’s probably where they’re still heading.”

The Doctor’s hearts raced in his chest. He took paper and simply stared. He felt his eyes start tearing up with the renewed hope he had. He swept the princess up in an unexpected hug, but released her quickly.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I promise you, these men will be punished for their crimes.”

“I’m sure you’ll see to it,” she replied with a smile.

“In return, I leave you with one last piece of advice. Convince your father and brother to hire modern doctors. Off-world viruses are coming, likely already hurting your citizens without your knowledge. Some will be deadly and you’re sure to be hit by a plague at some point. Your old world remedies simply won’t be able to fight them. For your kingdom, you must accept modern medicine. Convince them.”

“I will,” she answered solemnly.

“My thanks to you again, but I have to be going.” The Doctor continued his journey to the TARDIS.

“But where are you going?” The princess asked in confusion.

“That blue box isn’t just any blue box,” he answered with a smirk. Out of curiosity, the princess followed and watched. After just a minute, the TARDIS vanished before her eyes.

Once in the time vortex, the Doctor went about his work. Out of fear, he checked the blood sample first. It wasn’t Rose’s. It was her sign for him. She was trying to leave a trail for him to follow. Oh, his brilliant Rose. From the DNA, the TARDIS was able to construct an image of what the owner looked like. He was certain that if he could obtain the right equipment, he’d be able to find a name and police record. There was no need for it though. He had the coordinates of their destination.

He entered the coordinates and looked at where they fell on the map. It appeared to be a large asteroid on the far side of the galaxy. It was the slave market; he was sure. He’d yet to find an interplanetary slave trade on a planet. They needed to be outside of jurisdiction.

He calculated his timing carefully and felt hopeful as he engaged flight.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Rose awoke several hours later to the sound of a soft click of a door. She looked over her shoulder to see Elphinaud opening the door to the back of the ship. He was likely going back there to sleep, which meant that the flight was going to be several more hours, if not days. If this craft was set up like most personal crafts she’d seen, there was likely a small bed back there, possibly two if they were bunk beds, a small refrigerator, and a small bathroom.

But no. Rose realized then that the bathroom must be in the same section as her. It must be the fourth door in the small entry room. There was the ship exit, the door to the cockpit, the door to the back of the ship and the last door must be the bathroom. She sighed in relief. Her bladder ached from holding it so long. She turned straight in her seat so that she could stand and noticed two protein bars on the seat next to her. Her eyes started tearing up with such relief, but she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

The bathroom was very small and it was hard for Rose to maneuver as she needed to with her wrists still bound. The wrappers on the protein bars were equally as difficult, but she managed. She couldn’t even wager a guess at how long it’d been since she last ate or drank anything, but it’d been so long that eating actually made her feel more ill than satisfied. She moved to the bathroom again, cupped her hands under the running water, and drank. She repeated the motion several times before returning to her seat again.

And there she sat. She was wide awake now with nothing to occupy her time. Her body ached terribly. She hurt from hunger, from thirst, from eating, from the position she’d been in while she slept, and she still hurt from the punch she’d received when she was abducted. She tried not think about it. She tried not to think of anything. Thinking would force reality on her and she couldn’t face it yet. She could plot escape, but she had no idea where they were going to end up. She could force herself to hope, but it would inevitably be accompanied by overwhelming despair. That would cause her to weep and she wouldn’t allow herself that yet. She knew a breakdown would come, but it’d only happen when she was ready for it.

So there she sat. She stared at the wall with her mind blank. Occasionally her gaze would drift, but still she just stared, her vision going in and out of focus. Hours passed and eventually Rose curled back up on the seat and fell asleep again.

Rose awoke to the soft but insistent call of ‘girl’. It wasn’t in English though and she immediately remembered where she was. She looked up to see Elphinaud standing over her.

“We’ve arrived,” he announced. Rose looked up at the small window at the top of the wall and saw that sunlight was streaming in. Elphinaud reattached the lead to her cuffs and opened the exit hatch. Rose squinted against the brightness as they stepped out and saw that they stood on a small balcony. She wasn’t given time to look around because Elphinaud immediately headed indoors.

Rose’s shoulders slumped. She’d hoped that the spacecraft might have been his, something she could use for possible escape, but she could tell by their location that he’d only rented it.

They stood in a large, bright space port. It was circular in shape with several balconies just like the one they entered from. She imagined there were many more floors of the same. Elphinaud strode forward to the tall counter in front of them and began speaking to the woman behind the desk. They spoke in a language that she didn’t understand, likely their native language. The woman was the same race as him and as Rose looked around, it appeared that nearly everyone was and they were all dressed similarly to him.

Rose looked back at the employee behind the desk and her heart pounded as an idea came to her. With incredible speed, she reached forward and stole a thick, permanent black marker from a pencil holder and dropped to her knees. She tore the cap off with her teeth and spit it across the room.

She heard the woman shouting and Elphinaud with her. Rose wrote as largely as she could, rocking her whole body back and forth in order to accomplish it. Her hands were still bound, making it very difficult. What was more, Elphinaud kept tugging at her lead, making her marks shoot off to the side. She ignored him still. The tugging stopped for a second as he took the collar’s remote out of his pocket. She felt several warning shocks, but they weren’t strong enough to deter her. Finally, Elphinaud just bent down and ripped the marker out of her grasp. Rose didn’t care in the least. Her message was complete.

Rose got to her feet and stood stoically at the counter, acting like nothing had just happened. The woman behind the counter looked quite angry and Elphinaud looked utterly frustrated and embarrassed. He scolded Rose angrily as they left the space port, but she ignored every word.

When they stepped outdoors, Rose got her first look at the city. The buildings were all tall and made of a smooth white material. Some were a traditional rectangular shape while others had domes or spires. It was an elegant city. Again, as Rose looked around, she saw that nearly everyone was the same race. She noticed then that some of them were slaves, being led around in cuffs identical to hers. They were the same race and nicely dressed, but unlike the robes that most people wore, they had a top and bottom piece to distinguish them from the rest. As people passed on the pavement, she began to notice the occasional person of a different race. Each of them were slaves. Not one off-worlder was a free person.

“Come now, girl. Stop holding us up,” Elphinaud snapped, tugging her behind him. He waved down a taxi and Rose was pulled in after him. The planet’s transport were air cars with doors that opened like the ones on Earth. Every single one shined brightly and was sleek in design. When they started moving, Rose noticed that most of them were silver. There were a few other colors but all of them were very light in color, no reds, blacks, or bright blues. The city was bright and seemingly colorless except for the colors of the people’s robes.

They stopped outside a domed building and Rose hurried quickly behind Elphinaud so not to be tugged anymore. They moved through the building with purpose and stopped at another tall desk. The whole planet was starting to make her feel sort of small. Elphinaud’s race wasn’t much taller than humans, but enough to make her feel short. She stood just shy of Elphinaud’s shoulder.

He began filling out paperwork, but kept giving her warning looks every few seconds. She could try to leave another message here, but she doubted the Doctor would find it. In addition, Elphinaud had the collar remote in hand and she had watched him increase the intensity. She’d never get away with it again.

Rose was surprised when she looked up and saw a camera in her face. When the flash went off, she was sure she had quite the startled look, but the man with the camera didn’t seem bothered by it. She realized then what was happening. She was being registered.

When the paperwork was finished, Elphinaud hailed another taxi and they were off to Rose’s new home. She tried her best to memorize the turns they made, but she wasn’t sure she really got it.

When the car stopped, Rose took a minute to survey the home. It was square in shape and three stories high, the top most floor being half the size of the other two, the other half acting as a large balcony or patio. Like all other buildings, it was white in color. There was no car port, but it did look like there was a small fenced in garden. It was hard to tell if the garden belonged to Elphinaud’s house or the neighbor’s. All the houses fit quite closely together.

When they entered, Rose saw that the house was actually quite spacious. A large window ran along one wall and she could see the small garden outside of it. She peeked to the side of the stairs and caught a glimpse of the dining room, but Elphinaud began leading her upstairs. On the next level, Rose noticed a few doorways on either side, leading to one at the end. Elphinaud didn’t lead down the hall though; he explained that they’d start at the top.

The top floor had no door, the stairs leading directly into one large room. It seemed to double as a bedroom and library. Tall large bookshelves took up one full corner and there was a large desk in the other. In the center of the room was a large bed covered in a think red blanket. Finally, Rose had found a little color on the planet.

“This is my room,” Elphinaud declared. “Part of your duties will be keeping it neat and dusted. My closet and drawers are arranged in such a way that you should have no problems putting things away properly. You are not to touch my books.”

When Rose did not respond, he led her back to the second floor. They passed two doors on the right. He opened the door on the left to display the bathroom.

“The cleaners are below the sink. You’re to keep this clean as well.”

He led them to the door at the end of the hall and Rose saw that he needed to enter a code to open it. He ushered her in and Rose froze in alarm. Her heart raced and she couldn’t catch her breath. It was a lab. In many locked cabinets, she saw medical instruments and jars filled with fluid and what she feared might be organs. There was electronic equipment all around and on the right side of the room was an exam table with leather straps.

“As you can see,” Elphinaud said proudly as he made his way toward the rolling chair across the room. “I’m a scientist. A biologist. Do you-“

Rose wasn’t listening. She had her hand on the door handle and was desperately trying to escape the room.

“Calm down, girl! I can’t understand you!” Elphinaud had to shout to be heard over her.

It was only then that Rose realized she’d been shouting, and in her panic, she was shouting in English. She changed her demands into Base One. “Let me out! Let me out! Open the door! You can’t do this!” She tried punching random codes into the keypad.

“Stop, girl! I have no idea what has you so upset, but you must calm down!”

“Don’t mess with me. I know just what biologists do and I’m not going through that again! You keep your bloody knives and needles away from me! I swear if you-”

“Girl,” he said more calmly, taking slow steps toward her. “I have no intention of harming you.”

As he neared, she picked up a large, glass conical flask near her and wielded it like a weapon. He became fearful himself and reached into his pocket for the collar remote.

“I swear that I mean you no harm. I don’t know what you’ve experienced in the past, but I promise that I have no intention of using you for any tests. I’m a wildlife biologist. I would never dream of experimenting on sentient beings. Seriously, what kind of barbaric person do you think I am?”

Rose didn’t answer. She was too busy scanning the room for a better defense.  

Elphinaud sighed heavily and tried to explain. “I have long been interested in biology and have studied from books about creatures all over the galaxy. That’s when I realized how little is documented on the wildlife of my own planet. I decided that needed to be changed. This is my work, studying the wild animals here. _Just_ wild animals.”

“If you’re studying wildlife, why aren’t you out in the field?” Rose asked dubiously.

“That’s the work of a colleague of mine. He’s studying their habitats, while I study their physical makeup. He sends them to me here so that I can study them with my equipment, equipment that most certainly doesn’t belong in the field. Here, come see.” Elphinaud beckoned her to follow him to the desk that spanned the length of the room. Rose didn’t let go of the glass bottle, but followed slowly. There he showed her the book he was working on. It was filled with detailed sketches of a small bird, the way its muscles fit together, what the bones looked like, and more. Pages were full of handwritten notes, all in a language she couldn’t read.

“You see,” Elphinaud said quietly, “this is what I do. You’ve no reason to fear me or this room. I’m not a bad man. I simply-”

“Aren’t you though?” Rose disagreed. “You’re a slave owner.”

Elphinaud laughed. “Owning slaves does not make someone a bad person.”

“It is when you abduct them and force them into it against their will,” Rose answered firmly.

“I did not abduct you,” he said, still chuckling to himself.

“But you paid the men that did.”

“You make it seem like you’re in such a bad position here. Surely this life is better than any other possibilities. I saw that other man that wished to purchase you. Surely-“

“I’m not talking about other _owners_ ; I’m talking about the life I was stolen away from!”

“The traders assure me, they collect only the poor souls that have no hope of surviving-“

“And you believe them?!” Rose shouted in outrage. “I was on holiday with my husband!”

Rose decided it was best to leave out the fact that she was in prison. It would only go to prove his point. Her statement didn’t seem to mean anything to him though. He shook his head with an amused smile. He didn’t believe her.

“It’s true! I can even prove it! Look up the planet and ask the royal family! They’ll back up my claim. Better yet, give me your phone. I can call my husband right now!”

“I’ve had enough of this, girl,” he said calmly but firmly. “I’m sorry that you feel so wronged, but you simply have to accept-”

“You’re not sorry!” she argued. “If you were actually sorry, you’d let me go. But I tell you what, when my husband finds me, and he _will_ find me, you will be very, _very_ sorry.”

“Right.” Elphinaud cleared his throat and stood up from his rolling chair. “I can see that this day is a bit challenging for you. Perhaps it’s best if you retire to your room for awhile.”

Rose tried to watch him enter the code for the room, but he was good at keeping it hidden from her. It was a very short walk to her room as it was the door closest to the lab and just across from the bathroom. It was a very small and empty room. There was a bed and a small dresser with a mirror above it.

“Because you seem so insistent about seeking freedom, I feel that I should explain to you that I’ve taken measures against it. The security system is set, which seals all doors and windows. All windows are strong enough that they will not shatter. After threatening me in the lab, I also feel that it would be safest to keep your room locked during the night.”

Elphinaud left her standing there when he suddenly walked out of the room, but she was sure he wasn’t finished. He returned only a moment later with a set of clothing that he placed on the bed.

“That outfit will do for now. Once you’ve changed out of what you’re wearing, you can just throw those scraps away. I’m going to remove your cuffs now, but I will keep the collar remote on me at all times. I warn you not to resort to any kind of violence.”

Rose was silent as he removed the cuffs and Elphinaud sighed heavily.

“This could be so much easier, if you let it,” he said gently. “I’ll leave you now and will come back to retrieve you for dinner.”

The minute the door closed, Rose moved to the bed and sat down. She stared blankly around the room for a minute but then finally unbound all the thoughts and emotions that she'd pushed away in the last few days. She was so overwhelmed that she didn't know where to start. Images flashed through her mind, the memories coming back to her in reverse: her trip to the house, her flight to the planet, the humiliation and fear she suffered at the market, her terrifying struggle against the slavers in the dungeon, and finally the image of her Doctor. She truly felt the loss of him now. She was stuck; locked away in a little house on a planet she knew nothing about. She'd never allow herself to lose hope, but she was flooded with fear and distress. She had no idea how to survive this kind of life. The tears came then. She rolled onto the bed and wept into her pillow, letting out all her sorrow and grief.

When Elphinaud came to retrieve her a few hours later, Rose had already composed herself. She showed no signs that she had been crying and had even taken the time to get dressed. It wasn't for his sake, but for hers. She was more than ready to rid herself of the slave market's uncomfortable and revealing garments. When she picked up what Elphinaud had offered, it looked far too small, but it stretched to fit her perfectly. The shirt was three quarter sleeves and was very form-fitting, but the fabric felt very comfortable. The bottoms were a straight skirt that flowed to her ankles and thankfully a pair of knickers, both the same material as the top.

"Very good." Elphinaud looked pleased when he saw her. She had obeyed him for the first time. "It's time for you to help prepare dinner. If you would follow me, please."

Rose followed him downstairs and into the brightly lit kitchen. Rose was startled when she saw another woman standing there. She wore a two piece outfit which marked her as a slave.

"Now, I believe, would be a good time for introductions," Elphinaud remarked. "You may call me Elphinaud and this is Yizzi. Are you ready to give us your name now?"

Rose stared at Yizzi, who seemed to be as curious about her. She was a different race than the rest of the planet. Her skin was a very pale green and her eyes were brown, like Rose's. Her ears looked like fins and white specks, like freckles, started at the tip of her nose and ran a straight line up to her head where they spread out over the top and back. She was very pretty.

"Back to your silence?" Elphinaud asked Rose. "If you really don't wish to share it, I suppose I can pick one for you."

The very thought of it upset Rose. She'd lost everything. She wasn't about to lose her name.

"Rose. My name's Rose."

"Very good. I'll leave the two of you to prepare supper and one of you can come for me when it's ready. I'll be in my room. Don't forget, Yizzi, that she can only speak Base One."

"Yes, sir," Yizzi answered meekly. As soon as he left, Yizzi moved to the refrigerator and began taking out items and placing them on the counter. She asked nothing of Rose as she began working.

Rose stood there awkwardly for a moment before offering to assist. "Anything I can do?"

"I assumed that you wouldn't be familiar with this planet's vegetation. You're welcome to just watch, but if you'd like to help, that would be nice, too."

Rose found a cutting board and knife and began chopping up vegetables and herbs. Yizzi didn't seem to mind the silence, but Rose was dying of curiosity. "So how long have you been here?"

"Six years," she answered simply.

"Were you bought from an off-world slave market, too?"

She nodded.

"Where were you from before that?"

"It doesn't matter," she said with a shrug.

"Of course it does," Rose disagreed. "You should always remember where you came from."

"It wasn't like what happened to you. Elphinaud says that you claim to have been abducted. I don't know that that's true either, but it wasn't the case for me."

Rose was even more curious, but wasn't sure that she should ask. She decided to keep silent but kept glancing at her in wonder. Yizzi must have noticed because she sighed and responded.

"It was my fiancé. We... I loved him deeply and I thought we were very well together. He started getting quiet and reclusive then. I could tell he was stressed, but he wouldn't tell me anything. One night he asked me to leave with him, to elope. I wrote a letter to my family, telling them goodbye. When we were far out of town, he pulled off the road. Slavers opened the doors and pulled us out. It turned out that my fiancé was in debt so badly that he decided to sell me in order to settle it. He hadn't expected they'd turn on him though. They took us both. It didn't matter to me anyway. My heart had been torn to pieces. I didn't want to live at all anymore. Elphinaud bought me and promised that this would be a better life. And it is." Yizzi finally looked up from her work and turned to Rose. "It can be like that for you, too, if you let it. It can be a good life. Let go of your anger and just accept it."

"No. It can't be like that for me. I really was abducted. I had a good life, the best life, and I was just torn from it. I won't accept that I'm just someone's property now," Rose quietly fumed as she continued working.

"What's wrong with belonging to someone?"

"I belong to me. And if there's anyone I belong with, it's the Doctor," Rose stated firmly. She didn't raise her voice, but she wanted to. She couldn't understand how anyone could be satisfied in slavery and it upset her. It only helped prove to Elphinaud that slavery was acceptable. And Yizzi deserved to see the joy of freedom.

They were silent for a few moments when Yizzi tried to restart things between them. “You’re really quite good at that,” she said as she watched Rose quickly and expertly chop through a leafy herb. Rose looked up to see Yizzi’s tentative smile.

Rose attempted a smile in return. “Thanks. Just lots of practice.”

“Were you a chef?” Yizzi asked curiously.

“No, I just do a lot of cooking with the Doctor. We eat out a lot, too, but it’s nice to prepare something ourselves and eat privately. We love to travel, but it’s nice to have the feeling of home as well.”

Yizzi fell silent again at the way Rose spoke of her past life. She still spoke of it as the present. She really was going to have a hard time adapting.

When dinner was prepared, Yizzi went to get Elphinaud. He ate alone while Yizzi and Rose ate in the kitchen. When the dishes were washed, Yizzi explained that there wasn’t much responsibility for the rest of the night. She intended to turn down Elphinaud’s blankets before he was ready for bed, but Rose was free from further tasks. Rose walked around the bottom floor, but really wasn’t sure what to do. When Yizzi saw her boredom, she handed Rose a magazine. She couldn’t read it because it was in the native language, but she still took the offering and flipped through the pages as she laid on her bed. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was dark outside when she heard her door lock from the outside. It must be bedtime.

 

* * *

 

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and was immediately hit by a foul stench that turned his stomach. The sight before him disgusted him even more. Rows upon rows of cages filled the large enclosed market, each one filled with a person begging to be set free. It was a larger scale operation than he had expected.

“Hey, guy! You can’t leave that there.” A gruff man approached him, pointing out his TARDIS.

“I already have. I’m not moving it,” the Doctor answered as he started down the first path, glancing at each cage.

“You’re moving awful quickly,” the man observed. “Looking for something in particular?”

“Yes, a very particular person and a very specific trader,” the Doctor answered shortly.

“Yeah, there’s lots of good slaves here, ones of all sorts. A specific trader’s much more difficult though. All our traders are good though and we don’t work on commission. Can’t go wrong with-“

The Doctor stopped and turned on the man. “Thank you, but I don’t think I need your assistance.”

“Alright, do your browsing, but if you need help, it’s all around.”

The Doctor’s heart went out to each slave he passed. So many were shouting in desperation, others crying, and many were bruised and bleeding. He thought of Rose and prayed she wasn’t battered like the others. He feared what he might do if he found her in such a state.

He was on the fourth row when he came upon the other face he was looking for. He was with a buyer when the Doctor found him and grabbed him by the collar. “Where is she? Where’s Rose?” he demanded darkly.

“Easy there, mate,” the guy smirked.

“I’m not your mate,” the Doctor sneered.

“Alright. I can see you’re upset and all, but I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about.”

“The girl you took from the dungeon. My wife. I want her back and I want her now,” he demanded.

“Ah, the bitch what did this to me,” the trader said, pointing at the bandage on his cheek. “I ain’t seen her since we brought her in, but I’m sure I can find someone to help. That is, if you put me down.”

The Doctor released him and followed after.

“I’m sure one of the guys remembers her so we shouldn’t have a hard time with it, but I gotta make sure you realize. She’s ours now and if you’re wantin’ her back, you’re gonna have to pay like anyone else.”

The Doctor didn’t reply as he quietly considered the matter. He could break her out of a cage easily enough, but making it back to the TARDIS would be difficult, especially if she was injured. It might be easiest just to pay. It would be all the traders that paid in the end.

“Hey, Roja!” the trader called out to another. “This guy here’s looking for someone. Girl of his species, yellow hair. Seen her?”

The man called Roja thought a minute then nodded. “Yeah, I think she’s up here in sixth.”

The first trader, Roja, and the Doctor made their way down a couple more rows.

“Vordav!” Roja called. “What happened to that yellow haired girl? Thought she was over here.”

“Was,” the man called from the other side of the cages. “Right there.”

He’d pointed at the open cage at the Doctor’s right and the Doctor’s hearts clenched painfully. He was too late.

“Went fast, that one,” Vordav continued. “Wasn’t here even three hours. Had two buyers after her at once.”

“I said she was good stock,” Rose’s abductor said proudly. “Sorry, mate. Looks like you’re outta luck.”

 “Maati!” a man called from inside the open cage. He was on his knees with a bucket of sudsy water next to him. “I won’t come off. It’s like I said; she scratched it into the metal.”

“Then sand it down or scratch it until no one can tell it was on purpose. We don’t want any buyers thinking the next one in there’s a vandal,” Maati yelled back.

“What scratches?” the Doctor asked. He hurriedly pushed the man in the cage to the side and bloomed with renewed hope at the message: ‘Bad Wolf’ and just below it, were faint letters he could barely make out. Unlike the large message, this one was written quickly so not as deep. “Broxt” The ‘T’ trailed off so he knew it was unfinished, but it was enough.

“So,” Roja said as the Doctor stepped out of the cage. “You might not get the exact one you’re looking for, but we have plenty of others that might-“

Roja’s speech was cut off when the Doctor shoved him and Rose’s abductor into the cage. He swung the door swung shut and it locked automatically, but the Doctor still pulled out his sonic screwdriver and locked it himself, or to be more correct, welded the lock. There was no way they were getting out until someone cut through the bars. He could hear the men calling out as he walked away, but it was hard to hear them over all of the slaves. The Doctor moved quickly, before anyone could follow, and didn’t stop until he was back in the TARDIS.

The Doctor swung the monitor around to face him and immediately started a search for all planets and moons that started with “Broxt”. The search came back with a total of 7,963 in all near galaxies. This didn’t faze him. There were hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe. He simply needed to refine his search. He started by setting up a search radius for the distance a large ship could travel in a week. That brought the results down to 16. More likely still, it was probably a small private craft so he refined his search to the distance one of those could make in a week. It came back with 4 planets. That was better. And most buyers wouldn’t travel a whole week just to purchase a slave, so he’d start with the closet planet: Broxtinlinari.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose awoke the next morning to a knock on her door. She wasn’t fully aware of where she was until a voice came through the closed door.

“Rose? May I come in?”

The words were soft and spoken in Base One. It was Yizzi. Rose immediately remembered everything and was weighed down by depression.

“Yeah,” Rose answered her as she sat up in bed.

Yizzi entered with a smile. “Time to start the day. Elphinaud instructed last night that you were to assist with breakfast.”

“What time is it?” she inquired.

“6:30. Elphinaud likes to start the day early.”

“’Course he does,” Rose muttered as she got out of bed. She still wore the outfit from the day before and wished she could have a shower and something else to change into. The last thing she’d had in way of a bath was when she was hosed down at the slave market. She needed soap and shampoo, if they even had shampoo on this planet.

Yizzi noticed her concern about her clothing. “I realize you only have one outfit right now, but we’ll get you more soon, maybe even today.”

When they finished preparing breakfast, Yizzi went upstairs to let Elphinaud know. He greeted Rose when she placed his meal on the table, but she didn’t respond.

Once breakfast was through, Yizzi informed Rose of their daily tasks. They always started with laundry. Rose considered protesting her position by not working, but that meant that Yizzi would have to do everything on her own. She conceded on Yizzi’s behalf, but was frustrated when she did. Laundry meant all the bed sheets and blankets, too. They were washed every single day.

Rose just finished putting Elphinaud’s blanket in the wash when he came up behind her.

"Rose."

Rose whipped around in surprise and nearly hit him with the bottle of laundry soap. "Oh god, don't sneak up on me like that."

"You really are quite violent, aren't you?" he commented irritably.

"Only when I feel threatened." Her response seemed casual, but the warning was clear.

"Right, well, I've come to collect you to help me in the lab."

Rose took a step back. "You know I don't like it there. Ask Yizzi."

"I might have, but she's out on some errands. I have asked you though so it's time to go."

"I don't do well with orders," Rose stated flatly. "I'm getting work done, so just let me do what I'm doing."

"You will not tell me what I'm to do. It is I that gives the orders and it is your position to follow them," he replied sternly. "You are to come to the lab with me now and make no more arguments."

"You may have paid for me, you may think you own me, but I'm still my own person. You're lucky I'm doing anything for you. I hate the lab and I don't want to go back in there."

"I have had more than enough of your insolence!" he said hotly. "We're going to the lab. I will use force if I have to. Now which do you fear more?"

Elphinaud pulled out the collar remote and Rose watched as he turned up the intensity. At the moment, she feared them equally. She decided to comply, but only because she knew that she'd end up there eventually. She could stand defiantly through many shocks, but the outcome would be the same.

Rose brushed past him as she made for the stairs and warned him on the way. "You'll regret this. I promise you'll regret it all."

Elphinaud huffed in frustration and followed her up to the second floor.

"So where is Yizzi?" Rose asked as Elphinaud let them in.

"She's at the market. Now the first thing I want you to do is go to the sink and wash those bottles."

Rose scowled but obeyed. "So she's allowed to go around the city on her own?"

"Unlike you, Yizzi is trustworthy."

"Yeah, but other people aren't. Aren't you worried someone will just pick her up?"

"I don't know what things are like where you're from, but people here don't usually take things that don't belong to them. And if they did, Yizzi is marked. Have you not seen the tattoo on her neck? It declares that she is 'property of Elphin-"

Rose looked up at him in sudden fear. "You're never going to touch me with anything like that! I swear, if you ever-"

"Back to violent threats, I see. Yizzi _chose_ to receive it. She's happy in her place."

"I'm not going to be happy until I'm home," Rose grumbled, returning to her washing.

"Speaking of which," Elphinaud said, turning in his chair to face her. "I've been meaning to ask, just where is it that you’re from?"

Rose froze where she was. Earth was countless galaxies away. It was currently the year 1869. It'd be another century before humans even got to the moon. Earth was unheard of and she didn't want to connect herself to it.

"Doesn't matter," she answered finally, returning to her task again.

"Doesn't matter? Seems a silly answer for someone like you. You can't stop talking about wanting to go home."

"Yeah, well, it's no business of yours," she said tartly.

"Alright then, what about your species? I'm pretty familiar with most sentient beings in the near galaxies, but I've never seen any quite like you. What race are you?"

"Doesn't matter," Rose repeated.

"So very proud of yourself, and again you don't answer."

"Because it's none of your business."

"But these are simple questions, very basic questions. What do you gain by keeping those things secret?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just to annoy you." Rose flashed him a tight, taunting smile.

"As insolent as they come," Elphinaud muttered as he returned to his own work. "I should have gotten a slave that-"

"That was beaten until they lost every last drop of hope?" Rose offered. "Might've been better for you. Then you could pretend to be a good guy and they might actually believe you."

"I've had enough of your lip. You can work silently from now on," he replied testily.

Rose finished her work in the lab as quickly as possible and was released to go make lunch. Yizzi entered just as Rose was finishing up.

"What is that amazing smell?" Yizzi asked. Rose watched as Yizzi set down her bags and quickly activated the security system again. Rose was chagrined by an escape chance lost.

"It's called Ahk-Voo-Lie," Rose told her as she helped her bring the bags into the kitchen. "Well, it's not actual Ahk-Voo-Lie because I had to use local ingredients, but it should still be good."

"It's for lunch?" she asked.

"No, I just made sandwiches for lunch. The Ahk-Voo-Lie is for dessert tonight. I need a bit of a pick-me-up. I learned it from a chef on Parn about forty years ago and it's been a favorite of mine ever since."

"Forty years?!" Yizzi said in surprise.

Rose choked in shock but came up laughing. "Four! Four years ago," she corrected, still laughing.

"Oh," Yizzi chuckled. "I was going to say, your race must be quite long lived. My race doesn't usually live past fifty."

"No, no, it was just a slip," Rose assured her. She glanced through the kitchen door to the dining room, concerned that Elphinaud might have heard her. He was a very curious man and she was worried he might not believe her statement was just a slip.

Rose put her dessert on the counter to cool and then began cleaning the lunch dishes. She heard Elphinaud and Yizzi talking, but it wasn't until she went to retrieve his plate that she heard what they were saying.

"Did she say anything else?" Elphinaud was asking her. "What about last night? Did she say-?"

"You know, if you're going to quiz her about every word I speak, you could at least wait until I'm out of the room," Rose said irritably. She was headed back to the kitchen when he stopped her.

"You just understood me?" he asked in outright astonishment. "And you spoke."

"Oh yeah, work silently," Rose huffed.

"That's not what I meant!"

It was at that moment that Rose realized what had just happened. They were talking in the native tongue and she just responded in it. It meant only one thing: the TARDIS was on planet and translating for her. She did her best to keep a look of indifference, but it was impossible to fully suppress her smile.

"When did you learn Boxtili? You didn't speak it yesterday. I know that you didn't. How can you learn a language in one day?" Elphinaud demanded.

Rose smirked. "I'm a fast learner."

She went through her tasks that afternoon with a smile on her face, but she was still very deep in thought. The Doctor was on planet, but he still needed to find her. The planet's population likely numbered in the billions. How could he find her in that? She needed to give him another sign, but she wasn't sure how.

She was in the laundry room again, retrieving her own clean linens, when Elphinaud cornered her again.

"I'm not going to the lab again," she told him firmly.

"I wasn't going to ask you to, but you will when I next order it," he said just as sternly. "What I ask is much simpler. I'd like you to lift your shirt."

"What?" Rose asked in alarm. She took a step back and had that horrible feeling of being trapped again.

"Just lift your shirt so that I might see your belly."

"No."

"You're making things difficult again when they needn't be. I just want to have a look. I've already seen it when you were in those garments from the slave market. I don't see-"

"You're right. You've already seen my stomach, so why do you need to see it now?"

"I thought I saw a bruise forming and I'd like to check on it."

"You lie," she accused.

"We've gone through this before. If you don't listen, I will have to make you listen." Elphinaud took the collar remote from his pocket again and Rose was again weighing her options.

"You're concerned about a bruise but are ready to shock me?" she challenged.

Elphinaud gave her a warning shock. Rose knew what he wanted to see. She had realized her mistake yesterday. He didn't need to see it to know and she knew that nothing she said would make a difference either. Things were getting dangerous.

Rose lifted her shirt and Elphinaud bent over to have a better look. He drug his finger over her skin and she slapped his hand away.

"Not a single mark. No scars whatsoever," he marveled. "When you first stepped into my lab, you claimed to have been experimented on. You said knives and needles, yet you bear no scars."

Rose quickly pulled her shirt down. "Laser saw. Opens with no mess and reattaches when you're through."

"Now who's lying?" he asked. "You said knives, not lasers."

"They still used lasers to seal it up," she lied. She could tell he wasn't buying it. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I don't have accelerated healing or anything like that. I heal just as fast as everyone else. I swear."

"Then why would people be experimenting on you?"

"Because I wasn't like the other species I was living with." And that wasn't a lie. She was experimented on by humans, but she was still different from them. She didn't have accelerated healing; she had regeneration. She only healed when she was dying, but she wasn't about to share that information with someone like Elphinaud.

"Different because of healing and long life. I did hear you, you know, and I don't believe that 'forty years' remark was a slip. The combination makes sense, you know. Advanced healing would keep the organs from breaking down."

Rose shook her head. "It's not like that. You've got this crazy idea in your head and you're not listening to reason. I swear to you, I don't heal like you think."

"You claim not to be special, but you learned my language in a day. That right there proves you're not like other races. But," he sighed, "I suppose only time will tell."

He left her then and Rose's heart was racing. She needed to get out of there and soon.

Rose finished up her tasks that afternoon, looking over her shoulder every few minutes. She was determined not to be surprised again. Yizzi had gotten her some clothes while she was out and Rose was offered a shower, but she feared putting herself in such a vulnerable position. Elphinaud was scaring her and she didn’t want to let her guard down.

Rose didn’t see another sign of him until dinner. She asked Yizzi to deliver his plates to the table so that she could keep away from him. When the meal was through though, Yizzi had already started on the washing up and Rose had to retrieve his dessert plate. She took it as quickly as she could and almost ran back to the kitchen, but he grabbed her by the arm.

“Let go of me!” she ordered.

“What’s this?” he asked, pulling her back to him.

He noticed a piece of gauze wrapped around her finger. Rose struggled against him, but his grip was tight and her other hand held the plate, preventing her from fighting him with it.

“Just nicked my finger while cooking. Now let me go!” Rose dropped the plate on the floor where it shattered. She grabbed his hand and peeled his fingers off her arm. He paid her no mind. He had ripped the gauze off her finger, stood casually, and went upstairs without a word.

Rose cleaned up the mess she had made and spent the next few hours looking about the house, trying desperately to think of a way to escape. A fire, she thought. She could set the house on fire, but there was no guarantee that it would catch. And if it did, would she be able to get out? She decided it was worth a try, but by the time she came to that decision, it was too late in the evening. She’d have to do it the next day, sometime when Yizzi was too occupied to come see what she was doing.

“Rose,” Yizzi said gently. “Elphinaud has asked me to see you to bed tonight.”

“He too busy studying my DNA to get out of the lab?” Rose asked crossly. “That’s what he’s doing, you know. He’s experimenting on me like he does his stupid animals. You know what he does to them. He’s going to do the same to me. Yizzi, you have to help me.”

“He’s interested in you, yes, but he’s not a bad man. He would never actually hurt you,” Yizzi assured her.

“Do you really believe that? You’ve seen how forceful he is with me!”

“Only because you’re so forceful with him. If you would only give him a little trust…”

“You may think you know him,” Rose said seriously, “but I know I already have a better measure of him.”

Yizzi sighed and shook her head. Rose believed Yizzi to be a kind person so felt betrayed when Yizzi locked her in her room for the night.

Rose stared out the window at the darkened neighborhood, wishing with desperation for a blue box to appear. “Oh, Doctor, I need you,” she whispered.

 

* * *

 

The Doctor’s TARDIS materialized on the pavement just outside a space port on Broxtinlinari. When he first looked up the planet, he was relieved to find that there were only three space ports. Though they had the capabilities of space travel, it seemed that not many people actually cared to venture out. It was to his benefit. He could manage three space ports.

He spent the next few hours walking through the space port with a photograph of Rose, asking every single staff member if they remembered seeing her. He asked receptionists, security guards, and even cleaning staff. Level upon level, he did the same. When he reached the final level with no luck, he simply stood there, wondering if there was anything else he could do. He didn’t want to rule out the space port until he was sure she hadn’t been there.

He sighed in defeat, got back in his TARDIS, and moved to the next port.

The Doctor then began his questioning again. He was feeling more and more hopeless with every person he asked. He was just moving on to the next section when he spotted it. Just below his feet were markings on the floor. It looked like they’d been scrubbed away, but the cleaning product was not strong enough to remove it completely. The writing was hardly legible; a four-year-old could easily have done better. The writing looked like it had been interrupted many times, lines shooting off in random places. He could still read it though. It said “Rose”.

The Doctor turned back to the woman behind the counter, the woman he’d just questioned. “This marking. This marking on the floor. When did it happen?”

“Oh, that?” the receptionist asked. “Happened yesterday. I wasn’t here, but apparently some off-world slave went crazy, stole a marker, and started drawing. The guy tried to stop her, but I heard she was a pretty fierce one.”

“The man, her owner, do you know his name? Can you look him up?” the Doctor asked hurriedly.

“Sorry, I really don’t know who he was,” she said with a shrug.

“That’s what I’m saying. Look him up. There couldn’t have been that many people that came through this terminal yesterday. Just-“

“Sir, I’m sorry, but that’s private information. I can’t just give it out to-“

“Then don’t give it out. Just let me have a look.” Before she could reply, the Doctor moved around the counter and started typing quickly on her computer.

“Sir! Sir! I insist you stop this instant. You can’t do this! Sir, if you don’t stop, I’m going to be forced to call security!”

The Doctor stopped. “You’re right. That’s better. Call security! No, better than that, call the police! My wife has been abducted!”

“Abducted?” the woman asked skeptically. “You mean the slave woman? If she is registered to him, I’m afraid it won’t do you any good. If slave documents-“

“Rubbish. I have marriage licenses from twenty-seven planets that all say she belongs with me. That’s stronger than some stupid slave registration. Now call the police.”

 The police arrived and were immediately skeptical of the Doctor’s claim, but still brought him to the police station. That’s when the debating began.

“Let’s go through this again,” one officer said in frustration. “Did this man abduct the woman?”

“Physically, no. But he paid the men that did,” the Doctor said in equal frustration.

“When you say he paid them, did he pay them to do it or did he pay them after?” another officer asked.

“I don’t see the difference,” the Doctor replied.

“Did he hire them to abduct her or did they abduct her and he simply purchased her after?”

“They abducted her and then he purchased her. But I still don’t see the difference. The events are the same. She was abducted, exchanged for money, and now lives in slavery.”

“It is not illegal to purchase slaves, sir. It sounds like this man simply conducted a business transaction,” the first officer explained.

“If that’s the case, may I strip you and sell you off?” the Doctor asked.

“Is that a threat?” the second officer asked dangerously.

“No, it’s a proper question. If there is no problem with taking someone against their will and forcing them into slavery, would it be a crime if I did that to you?”

“Of course it would be a crime. I’m a citizen of this planet. I have rights-“

“And so does Rose. She is her own person with rights and it was wrong for them to be stripped from her,” the Doctor argued.

“Perhaps, but that crime did not take place on our planet, nor was that crime committed by a citizen of this planet,” the second officer disputed.

“Then take it higher than the law of this planet. Look to galactic law,” the Doctor demanded.

“Galactic law?” the first officer chuckled. “Is that a joke?”

“It most certainly is not. All planets classified as level 7 or above are responsible for upholding those laws. Being a level 9 planet, you are required to follow it.”

"I've had enough of this," the first officer said irritably. "You've wasted our time, sir, and it's time for you to leave."

The man stood and headed for the door but the Doctor didn't move.

"I really wouldn't dismiss me like that, officer," the Doctor advised. "If you don't take me seriously, I'll have to take it higher than your planet's authority. You are bound by galactic law and if it's brought to the attention of the Shadow Proclamation that you dismiss that law, it will come down on your government. And if it comes down on the government, who do you think they'll blame?"

"Nice try, but I don't believe your talk about this-"

"Then I won't ask you to believe me. Look it up."

"And just where should I look?" he sighed.

"Where else? People that know the law. Lawyers, judges, whoever else you might think of. You may think it's a joke, but you won't be laughing when you find out you're wrong."

The officers got together to talk in whispers and the Doctor put his feet up on the table, getting comfortable for a lot more debating.

"Fine," the first officer said irritably. "We'll assemble a group to look into your claim. It'll have to wait until tomorrow though as the courthouse is closed for the evening."

The Doctor sighed wearily and took his feet off the table. "I'll be there when it opens."

After leaving the police station, he hailed a cab to take him back to the space port and his TARDIS. He wasn't about to wait hours for them to open. He'd arrive at tomorrow morning in just a few short minutes.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose woke the next morning, not to a knock on the door, but to the squeak of a floorboard next to her bed. She opened her eyes in confusion, but they widened at the sight. Before she could move, a piece of gauze was clamped over her nose and mouth. Rose screamed into it and tried to push Elphinand’s hand away, but the chemicals on the gauze worked quickly, rendering her unconscious.

When Rose came to, she was immediately thrown into a panic. She couldn’t move. She was pressed against a metal table, bound tightly around her chest, her middle, and her legs by thick leather straps. Her arms were pinned to her sides and she squirmed in effort to free them.

“Let me go! Let me go!” she shrieked. “You can’t do this! Let me go!”

“Hush, please. This shouting will get you nowhere,” Elphinaud said in frustration. He sat in his desk chair and rolled it to the center of the room to be in her line of sight. “I’ve told you before that I mean not to harm you. I simply wish to run a few tests to try and-“

“This is harming me! Can’t you see that this is not okay?! You said you would never experiment on a sentient being! You called it barbaric! That’s exactly what this is!”

“I’m not going to cut you open. Look at yourself. You still have your clothes on. No needles, no knives. I’m simple going to take some pictures, have a look at you vitals, and-“

“And then what? When you don’t find what you’re looking for, then what?” Rose demanded. “You had a look at my DNA. You didn’t see anything there. I know you didn’t because there’s nothing strange about me! When you see nothing strange in these tests, what next? How far are you going to go?”

Not for the first time, Rose was grateful that the oddities in her DNA were hidden. She had three strands of DNA, but the third was not visible on non-temporally aligned scanners.

“I mean not to harm you.”

“Like you meant not to experiment on me in the first place?!” she challenged furiously.

“It would be so much easier if you just worked with me. You seem intelligent. You must know much about your species. Tell me what you are. Just how long lived are your people? How old are you?” He inquired peacefully.

“What does it matter? What do you care? It makes no difference-”

“Oh, but it does. With the advanced technology developing in this galaxy, if we were able to find a way produce cells that could regenerate tissue and organs… Just think of how that could be used in medicine. What might be a fatal would could be restored quickly and without scarring. There are many species that can do this, but they’re reptilian or amphibious. A mammal. Oh, how we could-”

“It doesn’t work like that! It’s not supposed to work like that!” Rose argued.

“Who are you to say what’s right for the many species of the galaxy?” he challenged.

“It’s my body!” Rose protested.

“And I’ve promised not to harm it. You’ve all but admitted to what I’ve suspected. Hurting you would only be hurting my research. Now,” Elphinaud said as he stood and approached her, “I need you to be still while I run my tests. I already know that you won’t comply, so I shall have to put you to sleep. Do not fear. It’s safe and painless.”

Rose screamed her protests, but was unable to stop him when he placed an anesthesia mask over her mouth and nose. She felt him fit it on with a band behind her head, but she was already too dizzy to fight it any longer. It was only seconds before she blacked out.

 

* * *

 

The Doctor groaned and continued pacing the corner of a board room in the courthouse. When the threat of galactic arraignment reached the ears of government lawyers, they assembled a group consisting of six lawyers, two judges, and eventually the head of slave registration. Only one person there, one of the lawyers, had ever heard of galactic law, and to her it was only something someone briefly mentioned. Still, they convened. They had no idea where to start, but the Doctor had started right in.

With a very thick stack of papers in hand, he read, “Galactic Law 679, article 7 states: It will not be tolerated that any large scale organization acquire sentient beings against their personal will in order to be transferred off planet and placed into slavery.

Clause 1: A large scale organization is defined as any group of traders numbering 30 or more, a number of 100 or more slaves, or slaves taken from more than 4 planets.”

And they argued. Could the Doctor’s word be trusted? They couldn’t read his papers because they were not written in their language. Just what was this galactic law and why hadn’t they heard of it?

“You have your own copy,” the Doctor informed them. “According to my records, you should have received it 56 years ago on the 36th day of your 4th month.”

“56 years ago? And we’re supposed to trust a document of that age?” one of the judges asked skeptically.

“The galactic conference is typically held every 500 years. Every planet level 7 or above is extended an invitation for one representative to attend. Whether the planet chooses to attend or not, they receive a copy of the full set of laws. It is usually delivered both digitally and in physical form. Please, don’t take my word for it. Find it!”

And they did. After much searching, it was found… and they argued some more. How did this law pertain to them? What other laws might they have overlooked? There was talk about gathering parliament and their world leader.

The Doctor had given his opinion. He then began repeating his plea that they focus on the current case of Rose and her owner, but each time he asked, he was ignored. That’s when he took to pacing his corner. He’d had enough of this. He’d thought it would be easiest to take the matter to the police, but perhaps he should have just continued searching the space port records before security came after him.

He turned back to the room and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Half the people were standing like him, and the other half remained sitting. All of them were still debating and passing around records and documents. And that’s when the Doctor saw his chance. A woman was passing the slave registration paper to the man next to her. He Doctor stepped in to accept it instead. The woman had been passing it blindly, but stopped suddenly when she realized the hand she passed it to was not of her species. She looked up at the Doctor in shock.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to see that,” she said.

The Doctor was reading it as quickly as he could and took a step back so the woman couldn’t reach for the paper.

“He’s not supposed to see that,” she announced loudly. Everyone looked up and many moved to stop him, but he was already making for the door. One of the lawyers shouted for security, but by the time they jumped into action, the Doctor was out the courthouse door. He had the address of Rose’s owner and he was off to save his wife.

 

* * *

 

Rose awoke in her bed and just laid there, still too dizzy to stand. She felt scared and violated and tried her best not to cry. She wouldn’t cry. She had to pull herself together. As soon as she was steady enough to stand, she went for the door. She wasn’t surprised when she found it was locked, but she was still overwhelmed by the feeling of being trapped. Then she did the only thing she could do; she sat and waited.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but she knew it was hours. When she heard the lock click on the door, she stood and backed up against the wall.

“Ah, I see you’re awake. Feeling better now?” Elphinaud asked pleasantly.

“Stay away from me,” Rose warned him.

“Still bitter then?” He sighed. “I still don’t see why. Not a single mark on you, as promised.”

“You had no right to do that,” she claimed.

“Yes, yes, so you’ve said. You will still follow my instruction though. I want you to come to the lab with me. I-“

“Not a chance.” She laughed derisively.

“You forget again that I’m in charge. I can make you if I have to, but it’d be much easier if you come peacefully. I simply have some questions to ask you.”

“If it’s just questions, then you can ask me here. I’m not going back in there,” Rose declared firmly.

“But they’re questions about your scans. There are things I’m curious about and it would be much easier for both of us if you came nicely,” he said kindly.

Rose could see what he was doing. He was trying to be polite and kind because he needed her to comply. He needed her to answer things, and if he was harsh, she’d be obstinate. The truth was, she didn’t intend to help him either way.

When she didn’t move or speak, Elphinaud sighed heavily. “Again, it’s just simple questions. For example, you have an organ I’ve never seen before located right here.” He pointed just above his right hip. “I’d like it if you told me what its purpose is.”

“That’s the appendix. It has no purpose.”

Elphinaud laughed. “You really expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true though,” Rose insisted, fearing the possible surgery for him to examine it. “It had to have some purpose a long time ago, but as we evolved, we lost need of whatever purpose it served and now it’s just there. Doesn’t do anything.”

“You’ll tell me eventually. But for now, I have other questions, so come along.” Elphinaud began to approach her. When he saw the dangerous look in her eyes, he reached for his pocket and the collar remote inside it. He wasn’t fast enough.

Rose reached under her pillow and pulled out a large kitchen knife. He gasped in shock when the blade was placed against his throat. He reached for his pocket again and the blade pressed a little harder against his skin.

"Don't even think about it," Rose warned him.

Elphinaud raised his hands in submission. "Where did you get that?"

"The kitchen."

"Yes. What I meant to ask is when you brought it up here." His voice quivered with anxiety.

"Last night. I slipped it in the waistband of my skirt. I knew you'd try something and I told you before that you'd regret it if you did." Her voice was steady, but she was filled with nervous energy. A quiet, terrified, maniacal chuckled escaped her.

"And just what do you plan to do with that?"

"Slit your throat if I have to," she threatened.

“You wouldn’t. You’re not-“

“Try me,” she dared him.

"If you were to do that, you'd be sentenced to life in prison. Is that what you'd like?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"What's the difference?" she asked contemptuously. "Actually, it might be better. I'm imprisoned here. At least if I go there, I don't have to do housework, work in a lab, or be experimented on."

"Rose, you don't want to do this. You might be angry, but you still don't want to do this."

"You're right. I don't. But I don't see many options for myself right now. I don't want to be here and after this, you're not going to want me here either. I-"

Rose stopped suddenly. Her heart was racing, threatening to beat right out of her chest. That sound...

"That noise. What is that noise?" Elphinaud asked in panic. "What have you done?"

"Rose?" the Doctor's shout traveled up the stairs.

"Up here, Doctor!" Rose bellowed in return. Rose slowly circled around Elphinaud but didn't lower the knife until she'd backed out of the bedroom.

When the Doctor appeared at the top of the stairs, she ran to him, dropping the knife in the middle of the hall. He was waiting for her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, pulling her back to quickly assess her condition.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm alright."

"You sure? Did he hurt you?"

Elphinaud spoke before she could. "Tell the truth, Rose," he said firmly.

The Doctor and Rose looked up to find him standing outside Rose's room.

"Think about it. Think of everything. Did I ever hurt you?" he challenged.

Rose took a moment to consider her answer before finally replying with a quiet, "no."

"Rose?" The Doctor gently took her face in his hands and she saw his compassion and concern when he asked again, "Did he hurt you?"

Rose gave a slight shake of her head. "No, he didn't actually hurt me... just scared me. Oh, I'm just so glad you're here."

"I got here as quick as I could," he assured her.

She looked up suddenly as a thought occurred to her. "The slave trade. Did you-?"

"I already alerted the Shadow Proclamation. They're likely there right now. Trials could start as early as tomorrow, which means we've got to get this one rounded up.”  The Doctor turned to glare at Elphinaud, a dangerous look in his eyes.

Elphinaud stepped back in shock. "Me? I have no idea what this 'Shadow Proclamation' is, but a trial? What trial?"

"It's like I said, it's against galactic law to take part in interplanetary slave trade," Rose informed him.

"And I tell you again, it is not illegal to own slaves! Having slaves does not make me a bad person!"

"Unfortunately, slaves are legal on this planet. Abducting them from other planets and forcing them into slavery, that's illegal," Rose explained.

"I didn't abduct anyone!" Elphinaud declared indignantly.

"But you were part of the slave trade," the Doctor argued, his tone severe.

"I'm not a slave trader!"

"You are," the Doctor disagreed. "A trade can’t be completed without two sides. There's a buyer and a seller that make a trade and both take benefit."

"But I didn't know!"

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse," the Doctor stated.

"If you had any morals, you'd know without having to be told," Rose added bitterly.

"What are they going to do with me?" Elphinaud worried.

"You'll get a trial, but you won't win," the Doctor plainly stated. "Not only will they have the word of the slave, they'll have the slave registration that you filled out. After that, you'll get time in prison, usually about 15 years for a species with your lifespan, and probably some fines to help offset the cost of keeping you locked up."

"Prison? 15 years? You can't be serious!" Elphinaud was becoming short of breath as panic began to set in. "But... But I'm not a bad man!"

Rose sighed heavily. It took a lot of effort to make her next statement. "He might be right. He has little compassion and no sense of good morals, but I don't think he's malicious. I believe he does what he really thinks is right. 15 years seems a bit harsh..."

"Then what would you like to do?" the Doctor inquired.

Rose stared at Elphinaud as she considered the matter. She spoke with finality, "Zero his accounts."

"What? What does that mean?" Elphinaud asked.

"It means your bank accounts will all read zero," Rose explained. "It vanishes without a trace. All past transactions are wiped from the record. Even if you have documentation of previous statements, it will do you no good. Without having a trace of where the money went, they have no way of reimbursing your account. Where would they take the money from to give it back to you? It's just gone. Zero."

"You can't do that!" Elphinaud protested.

"I can and I will," the Doctor vowed. "You should be grateful that that's it."

"But I'll be ruined! My debts. My house. My work! The college and the biological society. I'll lose everything! I'll be jobless and homeless!" Elphinaud cried in dismay.

"People on this planet don't become homeless, do they?" Rose asked, already aware of the answer.

"They become slaves," he bemoaned his fate. "Is that really what you want for me?"

"Surely that life is better than any other possibilities," she quoted him. "If you truly believe that there is nothing wrong with slavery, you'll do just fine."

"But I-"

"She's being merciful, _very_ merciful," the Doctor declared. "Come on, Rose. Let’s get you home."

"Wait!" Rose ran to find Yizzi and discovered that she’d been on the stairs listening.

When Yizzi looked up at Rose, there were tears in her eyes. "Why? How can you do this?"

"He broke the law, Yizzi," Rose stated. "This could be good for you though. If you want, the Doctor and I can take you back to your home planet."

Yizzi closed her eyes and shook her head. "There's nothing left for me there."

"What then?" Rose asked. "What can we do?"

"Nothing," she answered. "There are many others on this planet that would take a slave."

"You mean you _want_ to be a slave?" Rose asked incredulously.

"There's no shame in it," Yizzi replied. "If I can't change your mind about Elphinaud, it's best that you go."

Rose nodded dumbly, but didn't move until the Doctor took her hand and led her the rest of the way down the stairs. The TARDIS was parked in the kitchen and just as they were approaching it, the police arrived. The Doctor saw them through the window and waved before entering the TARDIS.

All Rose really wanted to do was curl up on the couch and be glad she was home, but the thought of a shower and a hot meal kept her upright. She moved to the shower and was glad to be rid of her slave garments. While under the relaxing spray of the water, she felt the TARDIS take flight. The ship shook slightly upon landing, but she chuckled at it. It was just part of being home. She was also pleased because she knew what the Doctor was up to. She could picture him at a cash point with his sonic screwdriver out, stripping Elphinaud's accounts bare.

After dressing, she found the Doctor in the kitchen, already preparing something to eat. Rose didn't speak as they ate and the Doctor thought it best to wait until she was ready. After what was either lunch or dinner, Rose pulled him along to the TV room. It wasn't entertainment she was looking for; it was just one of the places she liked to unwind.

The Doctor sat down and Rose immediately snuggled into his side, seeking the comfort she needed. Sensing this, the Doctor scooped her up and sat her across his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and she held onto his shirt as she snuggled into him again. Quietly, she told him her tale.

"I swore it'd never happen again," Rose lamented. "After the first time... I mean, this wasn't really as bad as last time. I was terrified, but at least I wasn’t kicked, spit on, and led around by my hair..."

The Doctor frowned deeply and held her tighter. That first time was a nightmare, one of the worst times of his life. It took him about the same amount of time to find her, but she'd been horrifically abused. The mockery and denigration was enough to make his blood boil, but the physical torment she suffered, the bruises and fractures they'd inflicted brought out the worst in him. He never called the Shadow Proclamation on them. There was nothing but floating debris left of the slavers' spaceship when he piloted the TARDIS back into the Time Vortex. When he told Elphinaud that Rose was being merciful, it was the truth.

"Oh god, I don't want it to happen again," Rose whimpered miserably. "Tell me it won't."

He couldn't. Oh, he wished he could make that promise. It hurt him deeply that he couldn't, but the terrible truth was that slavers were everywhere in the universe. Though he and Rose were very unlikely to come across any slavers and even less likely to be taken by them, they lived very long lives and traveled everywhere, opening them to far more dangers than most. He would do all that he could to protect her, but he couldn't promise that no harm would come to her.

"You did well in leaving messages for me," he told her instead.

Rose just nodded. The Doctor kissed her head and simply breathed her in. It was a terrifying experience for both of them and they took comfort in their shared presence.

"You know, maybe Yizzi had it right. After this experience, maybe it'd be nice to be branded. 'Property of The Doctor'." Rose chuckled.

"You, Rose Tyler, are owned by no one," the Doctor told her. "You are your own person and I'd never define you as my possession. I admit I'm protective and maybe a bit possessive, but that's because you belong _with_ me, not _to_ me."

"I know. But I'm still yours. I can give myself to you and still be free. I've been yours since I met you. Marking me as such wouldn't be so bad," Rose said with a shrug.

"Then maybe I should be marked, too.  'Property of Rose Tyler'," he chuckled.

"No, I definitely couldn't see that," she laughed. "That would suggest I have some sort of control over you."

"Now you see how absurd it sounds to me. Rose Tyler has a mind and spirit that cannot be subdued. She is hers and hers alone."

"And yours," she argued again, "because I want to be."

"And I'm yours, love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and that you're enjoying the series in general. Tomorrow, I will begin posting another story in this series - A Touch of Chaos.


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